Concrete supply receptacle and hopper combination



June 15, 1965 CONCRETE SUPPLY RECEPTACLE AND HOPPER COMBINATION OriginalFiled March 18, 1960 R. M. GUNTERT ETAL 3 Sheets-Sheet J.

INVENTORS QM Glazier! [a 1'. Far/ BY WAWaW/AW ATTORNEYS m 1965 R. M.GUNTERT ETAL 3, 8 ,9

CONCRETE SUPPLY RECEPTACLE AND HOPPER COMBINATION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Original Filed March 18, 1960 June 1965 R. M. GUNIERT ETAL 3,188,928

CONCRETE SUPPLY RECEPTACLE AND HOPPER COMBINATION Original Filed March18, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,188,928 CONCRETE SUPPLYRECEPTACLE AND HQPPER COMBINATION Ronald M. Guntert and Wilbur F.Earley, Stockton, Calih,

assignors to Guntert & Zimmerman Const. Div., Inc,

Stockton, Calif, a corporation of California Original application Mar.18, 1960, Ser. No. 15,871, now

Patent No. 3,135,178, dated June 2, 1964. Divided and this applicationMar. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 356,322

2 Claims. (Cl. 94-46) This invention relates to concrete slab layingmachines of the type designed to lay wide slabs, such as are required inhighway and air-strip paving and similar operations; a machine for thispurpose being shown in our copending application Serial No. 15,871 (nowPatent No. 3,135,178) and of which the instant application is adivision.

' The major object of the present invention is to provide such a machinewith a full-width hopper which feeds the concrete directly under theconcrete smoothing and depth limiting pan of the machine at the forwardend of such pan, and a concrete supply receptacle mounted in connectionwith and above the hopper for movement along the same to feed the supplyin the receptacle into the hopper in distributed amounts throughout thelength of the hopper.

The receptacle is fixed on a carriage, and another object of theinvention is to mount the carriage for movement lengthwise of the hopperin such a manner that the carriage and its supporting rails aremaintained clear of the hopper, so that no concrete will drop on saidrails, and the top or" the hopper is left unobstructed, except for thereceptacle, so that concrete may be dumped directly into th hopper ifdesired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a selfpropelled carriagefor the purpose, and the travel of which, in one direction or the other,may be controlled from a relatively remote point.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a practical,reliable, and durable concrete supply receptacle and hopper combinationand one which is exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it isdesigned.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is aside elevation of a concrete slab laying machine as equippedwith the improved hopper and distributing receptacle associatedtherewith.

FIG. 2 is a somewhat enlarged foreshortened front elevation of themachine.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section on line 33 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the characters ofreference marked thereon, the concrete slab laying machine to which thpresent invention is applied is indicated generally at 1. Such machineembodies a frame, denoted generally at 2, which includes transversebeams 3 and uprights 4 at the ends of such beams. The uprights 4 aresecured to bolsters 5 which support self-propelled endless track units6.

The machine 1 further embodies, and as a part of the present invention,a transverse concrete distributing hop per 7 which extends substantiallythe full distance between the tra-ck units 6. This hopper, which isclosed at its ends, is rigidly secured to the frame 2 just ahead of theforemost transverse frame beams 3; the top of the hopper being below thetop level of the upper beam 3, as shown in FIG. 3. Said hopper, whichincludes front and rear walls 8 and 9, respectively, is open at thebottom so as to feed onto the ground and under the usual concreteconfining and smoothing pan 10 of the machine.

Mounted on the machine to receive concrete from the mixer and feed thesame into the hopper 7 is a receptacle 1 1. This receptacle hasdownwardly sloping sides which provide a full-length mouth 12 disposeddirectly over the hopper 7 a short distance above the same.

The receptacle is fixed with a carriage 13 projecting rearwardly fromthe same and provided with front and rear pairs of flanged wheels 14 and15, respectively; the terms front and rear designating the relationshipof the wheels to the slab laying machine lengthwise thereof.

The front wheels 14 ride on rails 16 mounted on the frame 2 transverselyof the machine, or lengthwise of the hopper 7 parallel thereto and justback of and above the top of the rear wall 9 of the hopper, as clearlyshown in FIG. 3.

The rear wheels 15 ride against similar rails 17 mounted on the frame ofthe machine above said wheels 15. By so mounting the carriage, it cannottip forwardly and downwardly with the weight of the receptacle and itsload, while at the same time the rails are out of the way of concretebeing dumped into the hopper, and there is no danger of any concretebeing deposited on the rails. Also, since the rails are clear of thehopper and the receptacle 11 may be moved clear of any portion of thehopper at the option of the operator, concrete may be dumped directlyinto the hopper at any point in its length.

The front wheels 14 are reversibly driven by chain drive units 18connected to a reversible motor 19 mounted on the carriage 13; operationof the motor 19 being controlled by the operator of the machine-4mm hisseat 2t through the medium of suitable electrical connections ofconventional type.

By means of the above described arrangement, the receptacle 11 may bemoved back and forth from one end to the other of the hopper so as toreceive concrete from either side of the machine and feed the concretein evenly distributed amounts along the hopper An arcuate gate 21normally closes the mouth 12 of the receptacle 11; said gate having endears 22, each of which overlaps the adjacent end Wall of the receptacleand i pivotally connected thereto, as at 23. A sprocket wheel 24 isconnected to one ear axially of the pivot 23, and is engaged by anendless chain 25 driven by a reversible motor and reduction gear unit 26mounted on the carriage 13; said unit being controlled in the samemanner as the motor 19. The gate may thus be opened to any degreedesired for the proper regulated discharge of the concrete therefrom asthe receptacle moves along the hopper.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced a receptacle and hopper combination such as substantiallyfulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth the present and preferred details ofconstruction, still in practice such deviations from such details may beresorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention,as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new anduseful and upon which Letters Patent is desired:

1. In a concrete slab laying machine, a transversely extending elongatedhopper mounted on the machine adjacent its forward end, the hopper beingopen at the bottom to discharge onto the ground, a concrete supplyreceptacle disposed above the hopper to discharge into the same, acarriage rigid with the receptacle, means mounting the carriage on themachine for movement of the receptacle lengthwise of the hopper over thesame, the receptacle having a bottom discharge opening, a closure gatefor said opening, means including a pivot element rigid with i Ilengthwise of the hopper .over

the same, the receptacle having "a bottom discharge opening; a closuregate for the gate mounting the same on the receptacle for opening andclosing movement,' a remote-controlled motor and reductiongear unit'monnted' on: the carriage, and" an rotate the latter and thus swing-thegate between open and closed positions; the carriage mountingmeanscomsaid opening, and controlledxmeans-on the carriage connectedtothe' gate to open and close the same; the caroperative connectionbetween said unit and the pivot to 1 prising'a pair of railson themachine spaced lengthwise thereof and disposed parallel to and extendingthe full adjacent relationship to said length of the hopper in V hopper,wheels on the carriage,'the wheels nearest'the receptacle riding on theforemost rail and the wheels fur.- thest from the receptacle ridingagainst theunderside of T therearmostrail, a remote controlledreversible, motor mounted on the carriage, and drive means between the"motor and certain ones of the wheels.

2, In' a concrete slab laying machine, a transversely extendingelongated hopper mounted on the machine adjai ii cent its forward end,the hopper being open at the bottom to discharge onto the ground, aconcrete supply receptacle disposed'above the hopper to discharge intothe same, a carriage rigid with'the receptacle, means niountingthecarriage 'on the machine for movement of the receptacle 1 riagemounting'means comprising a pair of rails on the machine spacedlengthwise thereof and disposed parallel to and extending the fulllengthv of the hopper in-adjacent relationship to said hopper, wheels onthe carriage, the

wheels nearest'the, receptacle riding on the foremost rail and thewheels furthest from the receptaclelriding against the underside ofptherearmo st rail, a remote controlled reversible -rnotor mounted 'on the,carriage, and drive means betweenthe 'motorr and'certain ones of thewheels.

' References Citedthe Examiner I ,JACOB NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A CONCRETE SLAB LAYING MACHINE, A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING ELONGATEDHOPPER MOUNTED ON THE MACHINE ADJACENT ITS FORWARD END, THE HOPPER BEINGOPEN AT THE BOTTOM TO DISCHARGE ONTO THE GROUND, A CONCRETE SUPPLYRECEPTACLE DISPOSED ABOVE THE HOPPER TO DISCHARGE INTO THE SAME, ACARRIAGE RIGID WITH THE RECEPTACLE, MEANS MOUNTING THE CARRIAGE ON THEMACHINE FOR MOVEMENT OF THE RECEPTACLE LENGTHWISE OF THE HOPPER OVER THESAME, THE RECEPTACLE HAVING A BOTTOM DISCHARGE OPENING, A CLOSURE GATEFOR SAID OPENING, MEANS INCLUDING A PIVOT ELEMENT RIGID WITH THE GATEMOUNTING THE SAME ON THE RECEPTACLE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENT, AREMOTE-CONTROLLED MOTOR AND REDUCTION GEAR UNIT MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE,AND AN OPERATIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID UNIT AND THE PIVOT TO ROTATETHE LATTER AND THUS SWING THE GATE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS;THE CARRIAGE MOUNTING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF RAILS ON THE MACHINESPACED LENGTHWISE THEREOF AND DISPOSED PARALLEL TO AND EXTENDING THEFULL LENGTH OF THE HOPPER IN ADJACENT RELATIONSHIP TO SAID HOPPER,WHEELS ON THE CARRIAGE, THE WHEELS NEAREST THE RECEPTACLE RIDING ON THEFOREMOST RAIL AND THE WHEELS FURTHEST FROM THE RECEPTACLE RIDING AGAINSTTHE UNDERSIDE OF THE REARMOST RAIL, A REMOTE CONTROLLED REVERSIBLE MOTORMOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE, AND DRIVE MEANS BETWEEN THE MOTOR AND CERTAINONES OF THE WHEELS.